I used to hate Saturdays. While friends spent their mornings nestled in their beds, I was awoken at dawn by the steady shrill of my alarm clock, then quickly whisked into the car to begin the one hour journey to a city forty miles away. Every week, I spent the trip slouched and pouting, protesting the waste of a Saturday morning. My mother would lightly smile and omnisciently proclaim, “It will be good for you.” As we approached the dingy...

I looked down at my gray suit and crooked purple tie, then up at the clock on the wall: quarter to midnight. Another twelve-hour tournament; I was exhausted. My dress shirt stuck to my skin like a wet cloth. My Speech and Debate teammates sat around me, finishing their plates. I peered at the trophy by my chair and picked it up, "State Qualifications Tournament - 7th Place," one place away from qualifying for the state championships. I sighed with...

When I was much younger, I was convinced that I was a magician. With the flick of my wrist I was able to summon hot water to my hands. This feat became a lot less magical once I understood the fundamentals of plumbing, but nevertheless, part of the magic has always remained. I have met people who have never known this luxury: homeless children in Mexico, migrant beggars in Serbia, street vendors in France, and even locals in my hometown....

Since the day I learned to walk I have been always moving. When I was a child, my grandfather’s nickname for me was hóuzi pìgu, which when translated into English literally means “monkey butt.” I could not sit still, I had to explore every nook and cranny. Not much has changed in the ten or so years since. In my room there is an oval set of footprints permanently pressed into the white carpet that covers my...

I submitted these because I felt that they demonstrated the values that I find important in a manner that I liked. None of them are about an amazing accomplishment or anything of particular significance, but they are important to me. I think one pitfall that a lot of applicants fall into is a tendency to try really hard to impress through their essays. If you write about things that are important to you in genuine and interesting ways, that will...

Be unique!! I mean first things first you have to have adequate scores and GPA (generally a 3.85+ GPA and a 2200+ SAT), but beyond that admissions officers are looking at you! They...

How totally chill it is! Everyone is competitive and wants to do cool...

Try and intern somewhere if you can, my internship was...

Because I love the...

Get somebody who really knows and likes you, not someone who's class you...